T Diddy :: Your Friendly Black Dentist

I finally had my first Valentine's date/dinner in my lifetime. After hooking up many of my friends with great romantic date ideas, for the first time, I used my own imagination to romance a woman, my girl. I am not going to relinquish the skills or tools that I have at my disposal. Fellas, just know that I am a pimp (meaning, I put it down). And ladies know that I treated my girlfriend like a true gentleman. I handled my business so well, I am now thinking of writing my own book, "Romance Chronicles of T. Diddy"

This past Tuesday, Slaven traveled with me to Boston for a 2 day road trip. I went to Boston to interview at the Harvard Dental School of Medicine. I have already committed myself to Penn, but I could not say, "No" to this opportunity. This is not the reason for this blogg. After a quick nap after arriving at the hotel, Slaven and I decided to hit the town. Slaven knew of a cool area after visiting Boston before. Beck Bay is a beautiful area off Newbury street downtown that has many shops and great restaurants. As we were walking around, Slaven had flashbacks from his previous trip. "Taj, I know there is a cool street and tons of places to eat about 2 blocks from the Westin." I told him cool it sounds good. We walked 2 blocks to the Westin and it was all coming back to him. He guided us on the remnants of his memory through malls, skywalks, and food courts. It finally hit him and he knew exactly where we were. I was pumped up too. I was getting hungry and I was ready to eat. Sure enough we were making our final strides to this "cool area" that he visited before. This cool area was definitely 2 blocks from Westin. However, it was the same street where we initially were before we started our journey. The only difference was that we 2 block further East after walking in a big circle for about 30 minutes. Slaven has done some big things, but know this - when it comes to being a city guide, but him in the back seat or you will do a full circle.

The music today is not good. That is putting it mildly. Actually, it sucks! I find myself listening to music from the 70's, 80's, and some 90's. I am not saying that all the music from this era is worthy to be listened to. This is saying that there was some originality, artistic talent, and singing ability. The artists today are not artists. They are entertainers. This is all fine because they sell it. However, I am not buying into the nonsense. Beyonce, Destiny Child, Lloyd Banks, Lil John, and the like cannot sing. There is no argument here. They just cannot do it. Now, there are a few artists today with artistic talent. Anthony Hamilton and Alisha Keys come to mind. These two people are artists in every sense of the word. You can keep your Usher, who thinks he is God's gift to the word. I will take my Hamilton chillin on a Saturday.

Just when you think Winter will be turning into Spring; a dip in temperature occurs. New York is COLD! When I say cold, I am not talking about a balmy California cold of 56 degrees. I am talking a breezy 13 degrees feeling like 0 with the wind chill. So to all my California pals and gals, you all can enjoy your Spring now. I will man the F up and take the Winter cold knowing that when Spring arrives, I would not want to be in any other city. Spring in New York is the best and I would not want to be in Gay Bay or Crappy LA.

Here are 10 of the worst smells that will make you want to cringe:
10. Armpit funk
9. Fried Tuna
8. Toilets – after a poo
7. Bad Breath – Egg Salad Belches
6. Dampness
5. Broccoli Farts
4. Sweaty Sour feet
3. Dirty Ass
2. Unsanitary Pun-Pun Order
1. Cigarettes - Skin and Cloths

These are my top 10 and depending on day, the order may vary.

If there ever was a responding phrase that people say that really gets under my skin, it is, "Good for you." What the hell does that mean? This response pins you in a hole, makes you want to scream and makes it uncomfortable to even respond. This is especially true when it is said in a quasi-patronizing tone highlighting the fact that this person has nothing else to say. They are literally at a lost of words, do not know how to have a conversation, or they are not engaged in conversation as they should be. Here are some examples.

Example #1
Man 1: How are you today?
Man 2: I am well. I feel good and the weather is nice!
Man 1: Good for you!

This exchange of dialogue obviously shows an attempt from Man 2 to add life to such a boring question that we are asked every day. Man 1 obviously does not give a shit and he tries to make it sound like he empathetic, by saying, "Good for you." I always want to say, "No shit asshole. Of course it is good for me when I feel good!"

Example #2
Man 1: I heard you sold your company and are moving to New York?
Man 2: Yeah dude. I sold my company after spending about 1 year working on the deal. Finally, it happened and I found a sweet apartment that is perfect for me. I am really happy everything is working out and I now have a place. It will take some time to get established, but it will all come in time.
Man 1: Good for you!

What the fuck? Good for you? No shit asshole. Is this all you can say after a very detailed answer was giving to your question. Man 2 offered so much information that could have been used to ask a follow-up question and continue to have a conversation. The most obvious follow-up question is, "Oh that is fantastic. Where is your apartment?" Instead of this, you get "good for you", which clearly shows that Man 1 did not really care about an answer from Man 2. In fact, they really were not listening. The question was only asked to fill silence and out of obligation because maybe the two have not seen each other for some time. This is very similar to a buzz kill. You have few brews and you are feeling good only to have a friend do something to end the good sensation. If there were ever an ultimate escape from a conversation, this "Good for you" provides that route.

Example #3
Man 1: I hear you are going to Dental School. Where are you going?
Man 2: Yes, I am. After 2 years in the making, I will be going to Penn’s Dental School. It took a lot of work, but I am so excited to actually get going.
Man 1: Good for you

All I can do is shake my head in disgust to this response. I cannot even provide a, “No shit”. Maybe what I should do is to ask the question, “Why do you think it is good for me?” Or even, “You do really think it is good for me?” This would put the, “I do not give a shit response” back on their shoulders. This response tells me that they do not really care and they feel obligated to give a response. Well, I have news. If you don’t care, you don’t have to ask the question in the first place.

The moral of this story is to simply lose this phrase. Never, ever say this because it leads to a dead-end. It shows a lack compassion or empathy towards the other person. It says that you really could care less and you are asking questions only to have a dialogue with the person. In other words, you really do not want to have a conversation. Additionally, if you say this to me, I will call you on it and believe me, it will be “Good for you”.